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Theories behind the effect of starch‑ and sucrose‑reduced diets on gastrointestinal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (Review)

Ohlsson, Bodil LU (2021) In Molecular Medicine Reports 24(4).
Abstract

increased amounts of starch and sugar have been added to the diet in the Western world during the last decades. undigested carbohydrates lead to bacterial fermentation and gas production with diffusion of water, causing abdominal bloating, pain and diarrhea. Therefore, dietary advice is the first line of treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disease characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits without any organic findings. recently, a diet with a reduction of starch and sucrose led to a marked effect on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The mechanism is unknown, but three possible mechanisms are presented in the present review. First, functional variants of the enzyme sucrase‑isomaltase (SI) have been described in... (More)

increased amounts of starch and sugar have been added to the diet in the Western world during the last decades. undigested carbohydrates lead to bacterial fermentation and gas production with diffusion of water, causing abdominal bloating, pain and diarrhea. Therefore, dietary advice is the first line of treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disease characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits without any organic findings. recently, a diet with a reduction of starch and sucrose led to a marked effect on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The mechanism is unknown, but three possible mechanisms are presented in the present review. First, functional variants of the enzyme sucrase‑isomaltase (SI) have been described in IBS. A subgroup of patients with IBS may thus suffer from partial SI deficiency with reduced digestion of starch and sucrose. Second, fructose absorption is less efficient than glucose absorption, which may lead to a physiological fructose malabsorption when ingesting high amounts of sucrose. a third mechanism is that high‑sugar diets causing hypergly‑ cemia, hyperinsulinemia and weight gain have led to painful neuropathy in animal models; whereas, improved metabolic control in humans has led to improvement of neuropathy. Starch‑ and sucrose‑reduced diets lead to decreased levels of c‑peptide, insulin, gastric inhibitory peptide, leptin and weight reduction. These metabolic changes may reduce the excitability of the hypersensitive nervous system often found in IBS and, thereby, lead to the reduced symptoms found after the diet. in conclusion, further studies are needed to investi‑ gate the pathophysiology behind development of symptoms after starch and sucrose intake, and the mechanisms behind symptom relief after reduced intake.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Fructose malabsorption, Neuropathy, Starch, Sucrase‑isomaltase deficiency, Sucrose
in
Molecular Medicine Reports
volume
24
issue
4
article number
732
publisher
Spandidos Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85113616309
  • pmid:34414452
ISSN
1791-2997
DOI
10.3892/mmr.2021.12372
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
42167648-e704-487e-9250-4c648712f4a4
date added to LUP
2021-09-17 15:13:57
date last changed
2024-04-20 11:25:45
@article{42167648-e704-487e-9250-4c648712f4a4,
  abstract     = {{<p>increased amounts of starch and sugar have been added to the diet in the Western world during the last decades. undigested carbohydrates lead to bacterial fermentation and gas production with diffusion of water, causing abdominal bloating, pain and diarrhea. Therefore, dietary advice is the first line of treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disease characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits without any organic findings. recently, a diet with a reduction of starch and sucrose led to a marked effect on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The mechanism is unknown, but three possible mechanisms are presented in the present review. First, functional variants of the enzyme sucrase‑isomaltase (SI) have been described in IBS. A subgroup of patients with IBS may thus suffer from partial SI deficiency with reduced digestion of starch and sucrose. Second, fructose absorption is less efficient than glucose absorption, which may lead to a physiological fructose malabsorption when ingesting high amounts of sucrose. a third mechanism is that high‑sugar diets causing hypergly‑ cemia, hyperinsulinemia and weight gain have led to painful neuropathy in animal models; whereas, improved metabolic control in humans has led to improvement of neuropathy. Starch‑ and sucrose‑reduced diets lead to decreased levels of c‑peptide, insulin, gastric inhibitory peptide, leptin and weight reduction. These metabolic changes may reduce the excitability of the hypersensitive nervous system often found in IBS and, thereby, lead to the reduced symptoms found after the diet. in conclusion, further studies are needed to investi‑ gate the pathophysiology behind development of symptoms after starch and sucrose intake, and the mechanisms behind symptom relief after reduced intake.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ohlsson, Bodil}},
  issn         = {{1791-2997}},
  keywords     = {{Fructose malabsorption; Neuropathy; Starch; Sucrase‑isomaltase deficiency; Sucrose}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{Spandidos Publications}},
  series       = {{Molecular Medicine Reports}},
  title        = {{Theories behind the effect of starch‑ and sucrose‑reduced diets on gastrointestinal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome (Review)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2021.12372}},
  doi          = {{10.3892/mmr.2021.12372}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}